4th of July weekend: nothing happens quickly in Indonesia

I couldn't have scripted a better Fourth of July weekend, as it was a perfect blend of good old American celebration and Indonesian inability for anything to happen quickly. A quick rundown of activities-

Friday evening: I saw Eclipse. Not afraid to admit I liked it. I am probably so relieved to have time to see movies that the sheer act of attendance is beyond therapeutic for me. I swore I would never dabble in the Twilight series but I think I might need to now.

I alluded in an earlier post to my hatred for Telkmosel (cell/internet provider here) - they are the worst. In my attempts to get rid of them I have had to run around to multiple different stores.. after the movie I made my fourth stop to figure out how to fix my internet set up at home. This attempt took about an hour, but finally the problem was solved. Nothing happens quickly or easily. Thankfully to recover from that pain in the ass errand we had a delightful dinner in a new part of town and caught the Netherlands upset of Brazil. Wowza.

Saturday, Daniel and Tamara led us to Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, a popular tourist spot outside of Jakarta. It's not too far but was a journey! We hopped on a bus - there are no schedules/just leave when their full- this meant we ended up standing the whole way, jumped off said bus while still moving because I am not quite sure that stops are defined, hopped on an angkot (small van that equates to mass transit) for a few more minutes until we arrived at our destination. Nothing happens quickly. On the way home we had a miserable time finding a cab or angkot back to the bus, so in the blazing heat/humidity we settled for a long walk + angkot + cab back to Bogor. Total travel time: 3+ hours to go back and forth, less than 50 miles total.

The best way I can describe Taman Mini Indonesia Indah is as Mini Epcot Center. It displays a home/small museum for all of the 34 provinces in the country, illustrating the rich diversity in cultures, food, tribes, traditions that have evolved across the 13,000+ islands here. I included a few of the many pics below.. The park also came equipped with paddle boats (my plan to do this got vetoed!), a sky gondola ride, a WATERPARK, and a magic kingdom-esque castle for kids in the center. Much better than
Disney, and much cheaper!







Sunday the 4th, we found a way to barbecue. This was essential. Daniel's FABULOUS Aunt and Uncle happen to live right across the street and welcomed us to take over their house and grill for an overindulgent afternoon. I can't remember the last time a 4th of July rolled around and I did not made my signature American flag cake. Although it was a little makeshift this year, I persevered!



Indonesian "why does this take so long" moments: Our morning grocery store run took more than than two hours even with a ride. We thought we got started prepping plenty early but it turns out American charcoal exists nowhere except America. Dan scrambled with his bros to find something suitable and managed to save the day. It was later than expected, thus proving yet again, that nothing happens quickly in Indonesia. Hopefully I come home a little more patient.





We ended the evening with a long group sing-a-long, mostly of American tunes that I cannot believe have made their way over here. Also unbelievable is the fact that more than half of our party can play the guitar and sing. This further emphasized for me that food, music and soccer really do unite the world. If my internet was a little faster I have many videos to share, but that may have to wait until I'm home. Nothing happens quickly.

This must be the only Fourth of July I've spent away from American independence.. I was bummed to miss this wonderful mid-summer tradition, but our new friends here help make it most wonderful for us!